CSI: Miami Preview: Emily Procter Finally Gets Some Action

In tonight's CSI: Miami (10 pm/ET, CBS), ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne is threatened at gunpoint and nearly run over by a bad guy's car. "Of all the shows we've done, this one was definitely my favorite," Emily Procter says of her big episode. "For years I've had the feeling of, 'How come the boys get to do all the fun stuff while Calleigh has to stay home in the lab?' I was so glad to finally get my due!"

The episode heats up when Calleigh, off duty and boozed up on mimosas, spots trouble in a sporting-goods store where a murder just occurred. As the assailants attempt their getaway, they see Calleigh and assume she's just another pesky bystander. Turns out she's a force to be reckoned with.

"Calleigh is faced with a fight-or-flight decision and we really get to see what she's made of," says producer Marc Dube. Adds Procter, "We've always known Calleigh could get aggressive at the interrogation table, but here she gets physical out on the streets. It's so cool!"

Not to mention painful. Procter, 39, who opted to do her own stunts, got banged up during production. "Apparently it does hurt to dive onto pavement and roll out from under a car," she says. "I have bruises all over and cracked the tip of my finger."

But for Calleigh, there's the added emotional toll. She's accused of acting recklessly while intoxicated, a charge that brings up difficult issues about her alcoholic father. "In a flash, we realize how deeply injured Calleigh is," Procter says, "and how much the pain of her childhood helped create that tough exterior we usually see."

The incident also has ramifications for Calleigh's relationships with Jake (Johnny Whitworth) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) — the three have been in a percolating love triangle all season. Because Jake is so close to Calleigh (he's the one tipping back mimosas with her the day of the showdown), he can't quite remain objective while investigating the crime. When Jake is questioned about his role in the event, he goes out on a limb and asks Delko to help him out, but that just makes things awkward.

"In the end, Calleigh must ask herself what's more important: her job or her relationship with Jake," Dube explains. "It's a conflict that will color their relationship for several episodes to come."

Procter doesn't seem too worried about the situation. She says, laughing, "I just think it's sweet to have two good-looking boys fussing over me."